However, there was one thing she hadn’t considered. David was so weak to visual stimuli that he became engrossed in his desires without feeling any insecurity.
“If I do that for you, what will you do for me, Lizzy?”
In an instant, Lizzy’s neatly shaped eyebrows twisted.
‘This bastard…!’
She was aware that his voice was soaked in l**t. However, she thought she would maintain a line, but it seemed the line he had in mind was much further away than she had anticipated.
Should she suppress him once? Lizzy briefly contemplated.
But now was not the time. She needed to wait until she gained a bit more trust from the duke and was recognized as a prospective empress before she could crush David’s reckless energy.
Thus, Lizzy hid her disgust and smiled sweetly.
“I know what David wants.”
“You do?”
“Yes. It’s embarrassing, but… I want the same thing.”
“Lizzy!”
Excited, David opened his arms toward her. However, Lizzy shook her head and pushed him away forcefully.
“But this… this is going against the natural order. I’m not ready for it yet.”
“If not yet…”
“After a little more time, when I can fully trust you. Then I will give you what you want.”
Swallowing hard, David took a step closer to Lizzy. The distance between them was already quite small, so Lizzy naturally stepped back until her back hit the wall.
His short fingers slowly caressed Lizzy’s chubby cheek.
“I think I need proof.”
He might be foolish, but he wasn’t completely stupid.
He already knew that the beautiful woman in front of him was not his real sister.
It wasn’t because he had any information or evidence. Still, he was certain. Lizzy was not the real Ariella Bedford. That was why he could feel closer to her.
“The more genuine and certain the proof, the better.”
He couldn’t just take her word for it and let it go. At the very least, he needed to secure some token of their promise.
As he held her chin, Lizzy smiled as if she had drawn it.
Soon, her elegant shoes moved, and the woman’s heels rose toward the sky.
“Would there be any doubt, our young master?”
***
Unable to find where he had hidden, David walked directly to the duke’s office.
The Duke of Bedford, who had been conversing with Ariella and Adam, shouted as soon as he saw David’s face.
“David Bedford! Is it true that you hired thugs to attack Ariella? Did you really pressure the knights of Bedford?!”
“Who said that? That I ordered it.”
“The thugs testified that you ordered it! They said you were behind it!”
Even after giving them so much money, they were still talking. David clicked his tongue. At this point, he needed to change his way of denying it.
“I’m sorry, Father. Arrie was being so annoying that I got angry. But attempted murder? That’s too much. I only told them to scare her.”
“Is that what you call an explanation?!”
It was only natural that the duke would be furious at David’s bold response.
Documents, pens, and ashtrays on the table flew toward David, and he cried out in pain as they hit his arms and legs.
Meanwhile, Ariella, sitting in a chair, narrowed her eyes and stared at David.
‘This is strange; he’s not that kind of person.’
If the David she knew were in this situation, he would be trembling in fear of getting in trouble. Or he would be kneeling before the duke, claiming he was innocent and that someone else had instigated him, weeping.
His unusually confident demeanor and the strange flush on his face as he entered were concerning.
‘It seems their relationship is better than I thought?’
Seeing that self-centered David was getting hit yet not mentioning Lizzy, it seemed he had received something from her.
‘That’s good. If it becomes clear that Lizzy is behind this, I would be in trouble…’
Having already declared Lizzy as the real princess, she wouldn’t be dismissed, but at least it would have made it harder for Ariella to leave Bedford.
The duke would have become more attached to Ariella, disappointed in Lizzy’s incompetence.
‘For Lizzy’s debutante ball to proceed as planned, it’s better for that guy to take the blame.’
Ariella thought this as she stood up.
Just then, David was bleeding while insisting on his innocence.
“Father! I really only told them to scare her!”
“Do you think thugs would just scare someone? Would the knights of Bedford run away at the right moment? Speak sensibly!”
“It’s true. I never thought it would escalate to this level—!”
“Liar!”
As the high-pitched shout echoed through the office, both the Duke of Bedford and David froze.
All eyes turned to Ariella.
Ariella, as if she had been waiting for this moment, clutched the hem of her dress and let tears fall. Then, with a voice filled with unbearable anguish, she shouted.
